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No Connor Murphy for a while, but more regulars will play in the Blackhawks’ second preseason game

DETROIT – There is one many injury issue with a player so far in Blackhawks’ training camp, and so far there is no telling when that will be resolved.

Corey Crawford continues his work to get back from a concussion that sidelined him for most of the 2017-2018 season. His absence continues to hover over a team hoping to rally back after missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Yet another injury continues to linger for defenseman Connor Murphy, who won’t be in the Blackhawks lineup till around the end of the year.

An update given by the Blackhawks this week have backed up his original timeline that had him returning sometime in the first month of the season. Now it’s going to be an 8-to-12 week total absence per an update from team physician Dr. Michael Terry, which stated that Murphy will be off the ice for the next six weeks before testing out his back again.

That puts his return at late November at the earliest, which is another blow to the defense considering Murphy’s major part in Joel Quenneville’s rotation.

At least when it comes to forwards, Blackhawks fans will have a chance to see a majority of their regulars in action as they take the ice for their second preseason game against Detroit at the Little Caesers Arena at 6:30 PM on WGN-TV.

Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will be on the ice along with Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Saad, and Nick Schmaltz. All were absent from Tuesday’s preseason opening loss to the Blue Jackets. Anton Forsberg likely gets the starting nod in the net with Kevin Lankinen backing him up.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Blackhawks who will travel to face Ottawa on Friday night in their final road preseason game. That will also be the site of the team’s regular season opener on Thursday, October 4th.